The Racquette

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: News

President Obama has asked NASA to end its current plans to return a manned mission to the moon by 2020. Instead, NASA will focus its efforts on developing new, more effective space exploration technologies.

President Obama's proposed 2010 budget allots $3 billion over the next five years to the agency for robotic missions to the moon, nearby asteroids, and, eventually, Mars, with the intent of establishing manned mission opportunities to pursue in the future. Furthermore, much of the current space exploration technology development will be allocated to private corporations, while the scientific research and application will be left in the hands of NASA scientists.

In the thirty years since the U.S. has sent a manned mission to the moon, many lawmakers and scientists have shared concerns about the impending demise of the American Space Program. Critics of the current proposal cite the fact that with the cancellation of NASA-backed technologies, there is no back-up should the private companies fail to deliver.

Additionally, there currently is no set standard to evaluate the safety and reliability of privately developed cargo and passenger rockets manufactured by these companies. Concerns for the safe development of the Space Program will likely be voiced until the proposed budget is voted on later this spring.

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